Parasite regulation by host hormones: an old mechanism of host exploitation?

Recent experimental evidence suggests that parasites can not only evade immune responses actively but also exploit the hormonal microenvironment within the host to favor their establishment, growth and reproduction. The benefit for parasites of hormonal exploitation is so great that they have evolve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in parasitology 2005-12, Vol.21 (12), p.588-593
Main Authors: Escobedo, Galileo, Roberts, Craig W., Carrero, Julio C., Morales-Montor, Jorge
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gonadal Steroid Hormones - metabolism
Gonadal Steroid Hormones - pharmacology
Host-Parasite Interactions
Hydrocortisone - metabolism
Hydrocortisone - pharmacology
Male
Mice
Parasites - drug effects
Parasites - growth & development
Parasites - pathogenicity
Parasites - physiology
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Schistosoma mansoni - drug effects
Schistosoma mansoni - growth & development
Schistosoma mansoni - physiology
Schistosomiasis mansoni - immunology
Schistosomiasis mansoni - parasitology
Taenia - drug effects
Taenia - growth & development
Taenia - physiology
Taeniasis - immunology
Taeniasis - parasitology
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Summary:Recent experimental evidence suggests that parasites can not only evade immune responses actively but also exploit the hormonal microenvironment within the host to favor their establishment, growth and reproduction. The benefit for parasites of hormonal exploitation is so great that they have evolved structures similar to the steroid and protein hormone receptors expressed in upper vertebrates that can bind to the hormonal metabolites synthesized by the host. This strategy is exemplified by two parasites that respond to adrenal steroids and sexual steroids, respectively: Schistosoma mansoni and Taenia crassiceps. Understanding how the host endocrine system can, under certain circumstances, favor the establishment of a parasite, and characterizing the parasite hormone receptors that are involved might aid the design of hormonal analogs and drugs that affect the parasite exclusively.
ISSN:1471-4922
1471-5007
DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2005.09.013